Benassal makes a good base for a day among the shelters, because it is a living village, not a museum. It stands on a hillside at the edge of the Gasulla plateau, five kilometres from the shelter, and its streets are lined with old stone houses with carved doorways. Locals will tell you with pride about the spring water that rises around the village, and in the surrounding oak woods truffles are gathered in season. It is a place for a quiet coffee and a talk in the plaza.
Food in the Maestrat is a hill farmer's cuisine, built around lamb, cured pork, stews, olive oil and local cheeses. A lunch at a village bar can be remarkably good, and there is none of the fuss of the coast. If you are lucky, someone will bring out the local honey, thyme and rosemary flavoured, and the almonds that grow in every terrace. Alcohol is simple and local, and the Valencian taste for a small glass of sweet liquor after the meal has not died out here.
The road to Cova Remigia from Benassal is easy and open, and the bends are generous. It runs over the plateau among dry-stone walls, with the vast sky overhead, and in clear weather you can see Penyagolosa to the north-west. Winters are cold and sometimes snowy, so check conditions before setting out. The best months are May, June, September and October.
Culla and Villafranca del Cid, a little further, have shops and bars. Respect the fences at the shelter and ask for advice in the village about visiting hours.
If the day goes well, you will want to end it back in Benassal with something cold. The village fountains are old and numerous, and the water that comes out of them is cold even in August, which tells you how much altitude you have gained since the coast. Sit on a bench with your jacket over your knees, watch the swifts and let your ears recover from the helmet. Spain's inland villages are best enjoyed at exactly this pace, with no plan beyond the next coffee.